Blind Sided
by Clarky19
Summary: American baseball player Sean Lynch's career is cut short by an unfortunate play at the plate. Having lost half of his vision and with few options he must continue his schooling at Yamaku Academy.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Lights Out

Runners on first and second, two outs... Come on, all we need is one more and we're out of this.

Number thirty-nine steps up to the plate. Okay, he flied out to left last time, so let's come at him with a cutter. I sign three and tap my inside thigh. The pitcher nods and winds up.

Thirty-nine swings too late, the ball having already entered my glove.

"Strike one!" The umpire calls.

Good thing he swung at that, it was awful. Next pitch will be an outside fastball. I sign one and tap my outside thigh.

He watches the ball past the plate and into my mitt.

"Ball!" The ump vocalizes.

Okay, that was a waste pitch. Let's see how he feels about a curve.

I make the sign and the pitcher takes note. He winds up and releases the ball, and- wait, is he swinging?!

_THWACK!_

Shit, he did! Wait, the guy on third, is he coming home?!

"Home!" I yell at the top of my lungs. Okay here comes the throw. No way he's beating this...

The left fielder's throw was good, so this should an easy out. Okay, he's coming at me. Better brace myself.

He lowers his shoulder and charges into me. His shoulder catches my jaw and I get tossed back, holding the ball in my mitt for dear life.

I hit the ground dazed my only concern is the small, white ball in my mitt.

My vision distorts and I can barely make out that it is in the safety of my glove. The barely audible cheers from the crowd reassure me that I held on.

I can feel the darkness of my eyelids closing in on me. I close my eyes and everything goes black.

* * *

A steady beeping noise penetrates through the darkness. I open my eyes and only see light through my right one. I quickly grab my face and realize the blackness is the result bandages.

I look around and see that white ceiling and walls surround me. The only different color is that of a reddish blur hovering near me.

My vision clears a bit and I hear a woman's voice. I think it belongs to a woman, but I can't understand what she said.

My hearing gets somewhat better and the only thing other than the beeping I hear is my name. "Sean?"

"Sean?" I hear repeated again, a bit louder.

As my vision starts to focus I can hear the beeping clearer as well.

I look to my right and see a red-haired woman dressed in medical scrubs.

She repeats my name once more, asking if I can hear her. I look around confused in regards to my surroundings.

"Where am I?" I ask.

"You're in the hospital, Sean," she replies.

I do what anyone would do if they woke up in a hospital bed. I ask what happened.

She holds up one finger. "Let me get the doctor, please stay awake."

I nod in confirmation and wait eager for an explanation.

A few minutes go by and finally I see a middle-aged man wearing a white coat walk into my room, accompanied by the red-haired woman from before.

"So how are we today Mr. Lynch?" the man asks.

I'm just _dandy_. What do you think I feel like? I'm in a hospital, without a clue as to why I'm here.

"Why am I here? What happened?" I ask.

"Well it makes sense that you don't remember. You did suffer a concussion after all."

What was I doing? Think! The last thing I remember is baseball. The collision? No, that couldn't be it. That was nothing.

After realizing I was staring into space, I answer with the last thing on my mind. "The collision?" A nod from the man confirms my suspicion. "What exactly happened?"

"Well as I said you suffered from a concussion."

A glorified headache. "Is it severe?"

"It's neither severe nor mild, but I would classify it as somewhere in between."

His response relieves me, so I take a deep breath. "Well then, what are the bandages for?"

He looks at me, concern written all over his face. "Do you want them off?"

"Yeah, they're kind of itchy." A true statement, since I was starting to get bothered by them.

The nurse walks behind me, out of my sight, with scissors in her hand. The cutting of my wrappings was the only sound in the room. As they drop from my face, I keep my left eye closed, hoping to avoid any contact with the bandages.

With my eye finally free, I open it, expecting the other half of the room to materialize. What I get, however, is complete darkness. I lift my left hand up in front of my eye and wave it, expecting it to magically force sight into my eye. As I realized what was going on, I look at the doctor with fear in my eyes.

"Calm down," is his response. "Let me get your family in here."

Shocked I lay in my bed, running explanations through my mind, each less plausible than the last.

What could possibly have happened? Did he cleat me in the eye? No, that can't be it. Then it hit me. Didn't I have a rare eye disease?

As I await my family, I try to remember what the eye doctor had told me about it. I remember he said there was a very small chance that if I took a blow to the head it was possible my vision would worsen.

I recall there was a possibility that I could partially lose sight later in life, just from the degeneration in my retinas. What was it called? It was 'something degeneration,' that much I know. Why can't I remember?

"Damn it..." I mumble under my breath. I decide it is no use getting angry since I will get all my answers soon enough.

By the time my parents and brother get to the hospital, I had already sat through three episodes of _Breaking Bad_. I turn the TV off as soon as I hear a knock on the door, turning my head towards it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Shattered Dreams**

Luckily, my right eye seems unaffected, else I would have to turn my whole torso.

"Sean!" my mother shouts as she rushes to the chair at my bedside.

"It's okay Mom, I'm alright." I reply, trying to console her. "I'm alright." I say little softer as she squeezes the life out of me. "It's all going to be okay." That was bull and I knew it.

Behind my mother I can see a small blonde-haired figure. Wiping his face with his hand, I can see he must have been crying for quite some time.

"Big brother!" his high-pitched voice cries out.

As he rushes to my bedside, I decide to reassure my little brother that I'm alright.

"Look, I'm fine," I tell him, despite having to turn my entire torso just to see him.

"Really?" he asks wiping tears from his face.

"Yeah," I say, cracking a weak grin. "You know nothing can bring me down for long."

As we reunite I can hear an unmistakeably gruff voice. "How long are you gonna lay there and not even say 'hi' to your old man?"

"I'm sorry," I say. "I didn't even notice you."

He nods in reply. "Well you sure took a spill there bud."

No kidding, dad. I want some answers, curiosity taking hold of me.

"So what exactly happened?" I ask.

"How much do you remember?" my dad asks, rubbing his chin.

"I can vaguely remember the game. I remember there was a play at the plate... and that's about it." A true statement, since I really couldn't remember much.

"The kid you tagged out shouldered you in the side of the head, son." So I did get him out. "You passed out almost immediately after."

I feel my face go blank, letting it all soak in as vague connections are made inside my brain.

"So, why can't I see?" I ask, dreading the answer.

"Do you remember what Doctor Ross said about your eyes?"

I nod. "Yeah."

"Well, the disease you have is called Lattice Degeneration. It causes your retinas to weaken throughout your lifetime."

Lattice Degeneration. No wonder I couldn't remember what it was called. Lattice are for picket fences, not eyes.

"So, I've lost my sight then," I bleakly observe. As the words creep out of my mouth, I can feel my stomach churn and my heart rate pick up.

My father's eyes shoot straight to the floor and the room goes silent, the only exception being the ever-present beeping of the heart-rate monitor.

A knock on the door breaks the silence and the same middle-aged doctor from before walks in. He has a small smile on his face which irritates me a little bit.

"So should we talk options?" he asks.

"Yeah," my dad says, nodding. "Mikey, go outside with your cousin."

I pat my little brother on the head and he walks out of the room reluctantly.

"Alright, my name is Doctor Hasen and I'm the head optometrist here."

I don't know that name. Surely we aren't home, or else I'd know the name. "Where exactly is 'here?'" I ask, curious as to our whereabouts.

"Ruby Memorial," he quickly replies. Great, I'm in West Virginia. "Sean, you were concussed, as you seem to be aware. Anyway, the concussion caused some of your retinas to detach in your left eye. We're going to run some more tests, but unfortunately, it seems like you've lost all vision in that eye."

"There's nothing you can really do," I muse. I already know what his answer is, but I want to hear it for myself.

"Very serious surgery and a retina donor, which," he clears his throat, "is almost unheard of."

My suspicions are confirmed. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

It feels like my heart just jumped up into my throat. My baseball career is over, as is my football career. I could feel the warm streams of tears roll down my face. It's unfair.

"Yes, that's true," the doctor confirms, apparently reading my thoughts. "You won't be allowed to play any contact sports."

Oh, just great. Right before my senior year. We were supposed to go to the State Finals this year!

"What about school?" my father inquires.

"There's no doubt your son's condition is special," he says, twirling his pen. "As such, he won't be able to return to Uniontown next year."

'What?' I wanted to scream into my pillow.

"Where else would I go?" I ask instead. My voice seems slightly shaky.

"There aren't any schools that suit your needs around Pennsylvania. There's one in Michigan, one in California, and one in Maine."

Well, Maine doesn't sound too bad. Michigan is a different story.

"However, considering your parents' income, you wouldn't be able to attend any of those."

I'm not quite sure how he knows about our income. Doctor usually don't know that, right?

"Then what else is there?!" my father asks, anger in his voice.

The doctor stops twirling his pen, a serious look spreading on his face. "There is one place I know you can afford, but it's something of a stretch."

This can't be good. Stretches are never good, no matter what it is.

"Where is it?" my dad asks.

"It's in Japan. You can afford it, and it's one of the best schools in the world for people with special needs," he says, pleading his case.

Wait, special needs?

"You've got to be joking," my father says, disbelief written on his face.

"Not at all." The doctor is completely serious, it seems. "It's called Yamaku Academy. It's in the Miyagi Prefecture in the northeast of Japan." Is this really happening right now? "They have the latest medical equipment in their facilities and medical staff on campus."

My mom and dad look at each other, seemingly considering what the doctor had just said.

"We want the best for our son, but it's up to him if he goes or not," my mom says, surprising me a bit. Thanks for pulling me on a guilt trip, mom.

"If we can afford it, and it's as good as you say, then okay." What did I just say? No matter, too late now. "I have a few questions, though. Like, how am I going to communicate with the teachers and other students?"

"Most of the teachers speak English, so they can help you if you don't grasp Japanese that well." It seems that this guy knows a lot about this school.

"Well, when will I go?"

"The Japanese school year starts in April, so you'll leave a day or two before then."

This actually might work, but I don't know Japanese.

"Well, how am I going to learn Japanese in a month?"

It seems I finally stumped him, a pondering look coming across his face.

"You'll just have to get a professional tutor and gain a decent understanding in about a month's time."

Well at least I have quite a bit of time to learn the language. "Okay, that's all I got," I say, turning to my parents. "You guys want to know anything?"

"You seem to have covered all the bases," my mother decides. "Will this count as his senior year?"

The doctor again pauses to think "We will have to work that out with your current school and Yamaku, but that is what I suspect."

"Well then it looks like my fate is sealed. When do I get out of here?" I ask.

The doctor looks at the chart next to my bed. Through his flipping of pages I make out 'Sean Lynch' multiple times, along with 'LDD.' I assume it stands for 'Lattice Degeneration Disorder' or something of the sort.

"It looks like you'll be out February 27th, three days from now."

It seems like this guy has all the answers. He must've done some serious research.

"Thanks a lot, Doctor Hansen. I really appreciate this."

I seem to catch him off guard. "Oh, it was no problem. If my kid was in the hospital, I would want his doctor to take good care of him."

With that he shakes my dad's hand and exits the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Preparations**

After the doctor leaves, my parents begin to discuss our financial problems and possible solutions. I'm asked every now and then how I feel about certain things, but I'm not one to complain.

They had already sacrificed so much for me, so being picky was uncalled for.

Some time passes and they let my brother in, as well as some other visitors in. I get hit by a barrage of 'we're so happy you're alright', 'you had us scared's, and the like.

After everyone gets filled in, they're all mostly shocked. Many don't understand why I have to go all the way to Japan, but they are quickly informed by my parents and myself.

* * *

"So I hear this Mai lady is highly recommended."

My mom is the one that breaks the silence in the car.

"Yeah, but you know I don't grasp languages very well," I say with a sigh. "This woman needs to be a miracle worker."

We pull up to the apartment complex and I get out of the car.

"Call me when you're done!" my mom calls from inside the car.

I nod. "I will."

We wave goodbye to each other as she drives away and I pull the piece of paper out of my pocket to read what's written on it. Though the piece of paper is small, I have difficulty seeing what is written, so I put the paper in my right hand. I really need to get used to this one-eyed bullcrap.

'4A.' Fourth floor, first apartment.

Heaving one last sigh, I walk into the building and notice an elevator in the lobby. I enter the elevator and press the button labeled '4.'

During my elevator ride up, my mind races as to what my new tutor is going to be like. If she's highly recommended, she must expect a lot out of her students.

The elevator stops and I exit. I quickly find the door to the apartment. Considering there are only three different rooms, it shouldn't have been hard anyway.

I knock twice and hear a voice call from the other side. "Coming!"

A few moments pass as I anxiously wait to meet my new teacher. I hear locks turn before the door opens.

A short, skinny Asian-looking girl is revealed to me as she opens the door.

"Hello, how can I help you?" she chimes.

"Um, yeah my name is Sean Lynch. Are you Mai Miyamoto?"

"Oh, you're my new student!" She's really excited. "Come on in!"

"Thanks." I walk into her apartment and she shuts the door behind me. "So have you been filled in on my situation?"

I seem to catch her off guard with how straightforward I am.

"Uh, yeah. A baseball accident, right?"

She seems like she wants to know more, so I guess I should elaborate.

"I have a disease called Lattice Degeneration. It's a disease that weakens your retinas."

Intrigue finds its way onto her face.

"Basically," I continue. "I took a blow to the head and the retinas in my left eye detached. I am actually supposed to be wearing an eyepatch, but it's uncomfortable, so I've been slowly getting used to it."

Mai nods and claps her hands.

"Okay. Well, I suppose we should get a bit of work in."

Oh great, she's a slave driver. Goddammit.

"I'm not going to overwhelm you on the first day, so don't worry," she says with a smile. I guess my face lets on more than I know.

"Alright, let's begin then."

This is gonna suck so bad. I'm never gonna get this down in a month. It's a wonder some people do this for the hell of it.

* * *

Throughout my time with Mai, I quickly realized that if I listened to her she would get me ready for my venture to Japan. She told me that I might not be able to read and write all that well, but I should be able to carry a conversation.

"Anata no tsuitachi wa dono yō ni okotte iru?" she says in Japanese.

Okay I know this. How is my day going? Fine, if it wasn't for my teacher.

"Sore wa watashi no sensei no tamede wa nakatta baai, bakkin," I jokingly reply.

A smile breaks through her serious demeanor.

"You've come a long way, Sean. I really think you may be ready."

I can't help but smile. The work I had put in the last three weeks was grueling, but it will definitely pay off.

"You know I couldn't have done it without you."

Mai and I had become fairly close over the past few weeks. That may have been mainly because we spent almost every day together, but she was also the best teacher I had ever had.

I turn my head and a pinching sensation comes across my face.

"Ow! Damn thing..."

My eyepatch was meant to keep the light from getting to my eye, not pinch the skin behind my ear.

"That thing still giving you fits?" Mai inquires.

My head shakes in confirmation. "Yeah, but I'm getting used to it. I have to eventually, right?"

I really didn't like the eyepatch. Not because it was uncomfortable, but because of the strange looks people would give me. The eyepatch seemed like a reminder of my current state, though my vision was just as much of an annoying reminder.

"Is there something bothering you?" Mai asks with a concerned look on her face. She seemed to be able to read me like a book lately.

"It's just... I can't believe this had to happen to me, y'know? I had scholarship offers that were immediately taken away when they heard about my eye."

Now that I think about it, that shows how loyal they would've been.

"Sean, you can still go to college." I scoff at her statement. "I mean it!"

She catches my attention because of how worked up she is about it.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You are a great student, and if you apply yourself in your classes, like you have with me, I think you can do something great."

She must really mean what she said. She never gets this worked up about something.

"You really think so?"

"Of course I do. You've picked up one of the more difficult languages out there."

I suppose she has a point, even though I know a guy who's fluent in three languages and learning Japanese as well. Regardless, I do have a decent grasp on speaking to people in Japanese. I'm actually better with Japanese than Spanish, come to think of it.

I hear the familiar 'do de do' of my phone and take it out of my pocket. I had started keeping my phone and wallet both in my right pocket.

The text was from my mom: 'com on u need to get packed and make sure you thak Mai.'

Jeez mom, learn to speak English.

I stood and looked at my sensei of sorts. "I've gotta get going. Mai I'd really li-"

I was cut off by Mai squeezing me in a hug. She let go after a few seconds.

"Good luck out there, Sean." A large smile is on her face as she speaks.

"Thank you Mai... for everything."

With that I collect my notes and leave her apartment.

* * *

My father decided to come to the airport with me to see me off. I had already said goodbye to my friends and family in the days before, one exception being my friend who got into a car accident. I didn't have time to visit him, but I did pay my respects to his sister who died in the wreck.

"Which gate are we at?" I ask.

"Gate C," my dad replies. "Your Flight leaves at seven. Remember, you're landing in Sendai at around six-thirty in the morning here, so it'll be afternoon there. You're gonna want to get to Yamaku as soon as possible."

Could you give me any more things to remember? Maybe a letter to the Emperor or something?

"Okay, if I have any problems I'll give you guys a call."

Hopefully everything goes well. International travel is new to me, as is traveling alone.

A short but stern hug was shared between my us.

"Oh I almost forgot," he says as we pull apart from our father-son embrace.

He pulls a bunch of hundred dollar bills and a lone fifty out of his wallet.

"That's for me?"

Surprise washes over his face.

"Of course! You think I'd leave you with no money in Japan?" A smile then comes across his face. "There's two thousand seven hundred fifty dollars there, but that doesn't mean you have to spend it."

I nod and a woman's voice booms over the intercom. "American Flight Forty-Five to Seattle is now boarding."

A sigh heaves itself out of me. "Well, that's me, dad."

Another brief hug is shared between us and we bid each other farewell as I go to the tunnel. Once at the plane, I walk onboard and look at the seat number on my ticket.

6D. I was in coach.

Looking around, it seems not many people in Pittsburgh, or southwestern Pennsylvania in general, want to go to Seattle today. The plane is almost empty.

I take my seat, hoping that some giant fat guy doesn't come onboard and sit next to me like in some movies, despite there being countless empty seats around.

Luckily, no such thing happens as the stewardess runs us through the safety precautions. Floaty device seats, oxygen bags, the like. With that out of the way, we take off.

I patiently wait for the stewardess' announcement that we could use electronics. Once she says we can use them, I pull out my laptop and look at my selection of films.

_Four Brothers_,_ Click_, _End of Watch_, and _Gladiator_. All fine films... with the exception of _Click_. I decide _Four Brothers_ is going to be a good choice as always and sit back, waiting for us to land in Seattle.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Touch Down**

We stopped in Seattle, its reputation for having bad weather fulfilled itself. Our flight was delayed 8 hours due to bad weather.

They allowed us to stay at the airport the entire time, just in case their prediction was incorrect and the weather cleared up early. I spent my time downloading more movies as I waited on a bench outside the gate my plane was to be at.

I called my Dad who was very concerned about me and told me to rent a hotel room while I waited. I reassured him I would be fine, reminding him I was 18 and could take care of myself.

He reluctantly agreed and hung up. _Geez, who pissed in his Wheaties?_ I thought.

I shrugged it off and decided to get something to eat while I waited. I got up and left the airport, hoping to scout out some food joints nearby.

Outside of the airport, I spotted a Subway down the street. Immediately, I decided that's where I would eat, mainly because it was close, but also because Subway's meatball hoagies are a gift from God.

After finishing my meal I returned to the airport. I had slept on the plane a bit so I just waited for the weather to clear up, having nothing better to do.

* * *

Seattle was hell, and when I arrived in Sendai I was sure I had culture shock.

"Damn..." I muttered to myself in English when I went into the streets.

Yet, here I was, sight-seeing. I shouldn't be sitting here sight-seeing. I have to get to the bus, and it was already 8 AM. I had hoped to get some sleep before school, but I would be lucky to make it there before lunch.

Luckily there was a bus to Yamaku in ten minutes. Finally, I catch a break.

As I go to buy my ticket I get caught completely off guard by the teller.

"Kon'ichiwa dono yo ni watashi wa anata o taseraku koto ga dekiru?"

"What?" I say in English

The teller gives me an odd look, and then it hits me. You're in Japan, speak Japanese, dumbass.

"Oh right, sorry. Which bus will take me to Yamaku Academy the fastest?" I ask, relieved I understood what he said.

"The Number Nine bus. It comes through in ten minutes, so you're in luck."

Wow, I can actually understand what he's saying! Looks like Mai was right.

"However..." he continues "You won't be taken directly - - you'll have to take a cab from the small town you'll be dropped off in." Well I guess I don't know everything yet.

"Okay, thank you," I reply in Japanese. As I await my bus, I decide to take in my surroundings.

I hadn't had a chance to really look around since I was in such a rush. I can feel eyes all over me. I don't know if it's because I'm American or because of the ever-present eyepatch on my left eye.

A small boy stops and looks at me, asking his mother a question. The only thing I can make out is "Mommy look-" and his mother putting her hand over his mouth.

"I'm so sorry!" she says.

In actuality, I'm furious but I'm not about to yell at a little kid or his apologetic mother.

"No, It's fine," I reply

His mother nods to me and then continues on.

Almost immediately after, my bus pulls up, I take my seat and we finally take off.

Finally I'm almost there. It's 9 AM at this point and it should take roughly 3 hours to get to Yamaku.

What was that kid going to say? 'Look an American' or 'Look at his eyepatch'.

I decide not to dwell on it anymore and take a short nap.

* * *

Finding a cab in the small city the bus took me to was fairly easy. I was making good time, the trip to the city only taking two hours.

We pass through a small town before going up a hill, a large building present at the top. As we make our ascent, more of it comes into view. The landscape sort of reminds me of home.

"We're here," the driver says as we stop at the front gate. I thank him and retrieve my bags. He leaves after I close the trunk.

I'm two and a half hours late, so a trip to the administrative office is in order. On my way into the gates, I am stopped by a man in a suit.

"Can I help you?" an official looking man asks me. He's tall for a Japanese man. Most of the men I had seen were about 5" 10', about my height. He, however, is about 6"2'.

"Yes, my name is Sean Lynch. I'm a transfer student from America," I say, slightly nervous.

"Oh, okay let me get someone to show you to your dorm."

I'm kind of excited to live in a dorm, since I have never been this independent before. The closest thing to living away from my parents was during a mini-camp we had for baseball, and we left for a week to live in dorms with our teammates.

Another official-looking man shows me to the boys' dorm and I get taken upstairs, to the second floor. He takes me to the end of the hall.

"Room 116, and here's your key." He hands me the key and I thank him.

"Okay, then but what room do I go to?" I never was told what my homeroom was.

"Oh, right. You are room number three-two. You'll find your uniform in your closet, but you aren't required to wear the - –, since it's hot out today."

What did he say? Oh well it, doesn't matter, so long as it wasn't important.

"Alright. Thank you sir."

With that he takes his leave.

I open my door and am hit in the face with a beam of light. My window is on the wall opposite my door. There is a desk, a bed, a dresser, and a door that I assume is my closet.

I remove my shoes and take a moment to relax, lying on my bed to test its comfort level. It was surprisingly soft, so... Satisfactory.

A few comfortable seconds pass and I decide I should put my uniform on and head off to class.

I open my closet and see a pair of green dress pants, a white dress shirt, a black tie, and a green blazer. Oh, that's what he said I didn't have to wear.

I'm no stranger to dressing nicely. My football coach had us dress up on Fridays. I never really knew why, but I never questioned it, nor did I ever plan on it.

Once dressed, I leave my room and lock it on the way out. As I head down the hallway I hear what sounds like a television coming from room 118. I think nothing of it and continue on my way out.

I head back to the entrance, now in appropriate attire. I recall the official-looking man telling me I was in Room 3-2. Third floor I guess. One fear I always have is getting lost in buildings I wasn't familiar with and it seems like I'm screwed here.

Yamaku is actually fairly easy to navigate, so I find my class with relative ease. I take a deep breath and push open the door.

Here we go, Sean.

As I open the door, I immediately catch the teacher's attention.

"You're Lynch?" she asks.

"Yeah." I reply, not really sure how to handle the situation since Japan's customs are much different than America's.

"They told me you'd be in. So, why don't you introduce yourself to your classmates?" I haven't even looked at the class yet.

I suddenly feel nervous. First impressions, man, first impressions.

I turn to the class and begin to look at everyone. I have to turn my body to see the left side of the room.

"Hi everyone. My name's Sean Lynch. I just transferred here from the United States."

That seems to catch a lot of people's attention. A few people sit up when they hear where I am from.

"Do you want to tell them any of your hobbies?" the teacher asks.

Well, I can't really call them hobbies anymore since I can't do more than half of them.

"Uhh... I used to play baseball and American football. I like exercising in general, I play video games, and I like listening to music," I inform my classmates.

Half those things I can't even do anymore.

"Okay, then. Well, you all can introduce yourselves to Mister Lynch some other time. Oh, by the way, my name is Miyagi."

Oh really? You wouldn't happen to be married to a Mister Miyagi would you?

She notices my eyepatch and looks at the seats. She's likely looking for a place where I can see the board well from.

"Why not right there?" She points a few seats behind the one she was standing in front of.

It's on the left side of the room, so I should be able to see most of the board.

"Yeah that should be fine, thank you."

Well, that was fairly painless. I walk to my seat and sit.

After I sit in my seat, I look at some of the people around me. I stop immediately when I see the tall blonde girl to the right of me.

I figure I'll be caught staring, especially by the bespectacled, black haired, scarf-wearing guy diagonal from me, so I casually look away.

The blonde girl is by far the best looking girl in the room. It feels kind of inappropriate to be comparing the girls like that but it's fairly obvious that she would take the cake.

I decide I should probably pay attention, so I focus on Mrs. Miyagi.

* * *

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_

I turn my body to see who would walk in, making myself quite uncomfortable in doing so.

A girl with pink hair that's styled to end in drills walks in. I can see another girl with bluish-black hair in the doorway.

"Excuse me Miyagi-sensei, but is Sean Lynch here yet?" she asks. Why's she asking for me?

"Yes, Mikado. He's right there." She points to me with the marker that is in her hand.

Mikado looks at me and I give her a small wave.

"Well, can we borrow him? We need to show him around the school," she says with puppy-dog eyes.

"Sure Mikado, but try to have him back after lunch." Mrs. Miyagi is pointing the marker at Mikado now.

With that, I get up and exit the room with the two girls. I already get out of class on the first day. Awesome.

Mikado turns to me. "Hello Lynch- "

I stop her. "Please, call me Sean."

That gives her a huge smile. "Can I call you Sean-Chan, or Shauchan?" she asks, again using her puppy-dog eyes.

I remember Mai said adding '-chan' to the end of someone's name is like giving you a nickname, and that means they consider you a friend. Something like that.

Well, I'm not trying to offend anyone here. I don't want everyone thinking I'm some jerk.

"Uhh... sure call me Sean-chan, I guess." The name sounds kind of silly, to be honest.

A wide smile immediately comes across her face. "Yay!" She jumps as she says it for emphasis.

"I'm Misha!" She points to the silent girl with bluish-black hair. "And this is Shicchan!" She seems really excited about this.

The other girl seems displeased with the name and starts signing something to Misha. I guess she's deaf, so that must be why she hasn't said anything.

"Um, Shicchan says for you to just call her 'Shizune.'" Misha puffs her cheeks out, falsely angry that Shizune didn't want to be called that.

"Okay, well it's nice to meet you both," I say, trying to be as polite as possible.

Misha signs to Shizune and a smile comes across her face. She signs back through Misha.

"She says it's nice to meet you as well," Misha says with a smile. This girl is very hyper and very friendly. Not too bad, I guess.

"Well then. Should we get on with the tour?" I ask, heeding my teacher's warning to be back after lunch.

"Oh right! Good thinking Sean-chan!" Misha says as she starts walking down the hall. "Well, since lunch is almost here, we should go to the cafeteria first."

Might as well. I'm starting to get hungry. "Sure that sounds great."

With that, we head down the stairwell to the cafeteria.

Once we enter the cafeteria, we go to get food. The selections they have are much better-looking than the food at my old school. I'm not feeling adventurous, though, so a simple salad is fine with me.

We sit down at the lunch table and start to eat. Shizune signs something to Misha who then turns to me.

"Shicchan said she assumes that eye is the reason you're here." Misha has a quizzical look on her face.

I decide it would be a good time to take off my eyepatch and just show them. I notice no difference in my sight, only the relieving feeling of having it off.

Shizune signs something again.

"If you don't mind us asking, what happened?" Misha has a slightly sad look on her face this time.

I smile, trying to reassure them it doesn't bother me to talk about it, even though it does still make me a little gloomy.

"Well, I used to play catcher in baseball. Anyway, a month ago, I was playing at a game. This kid came home and I went to tag him. His shoulder hit me in the head." I point to my left temple. "I have a disease called Lattice Degeneration. It weakens the retinas in my eyes. That blow to the head caused most of the retinas in my left eye to detach."

I made sure I could explain my incident when I was studying with Mai.

Misha signs to Shizune, a frown on her face the whole time. Afterward, they both look at me.

"We're so sorry Sean-chan..." Misha says, looking at the table the whole time.

I feel kind of bad now. I can't sit here and let them feel bad for someone they just met. That's not my style.

"Don't worry about it, I've come to accept it, so you shouldn't feel bad for me."

I just don't like seeing people sad because of me, especially girls.

Misha seems to go back to her hyper, bubbly self after that.

"Okay, if you say so!" she says with a huge smile.

We finish eating and leave to go explore more of the school.

After that, they show me the nurse's office, which reminded me to take the eye drops I was given.

We explore a bit more, seeing where some of the bathrooms were. On our way back upstairs, we turn the corner and I feel something strike me in my chest. I get knocked back into a wall.

A little dazed, I notice a girl on the ground, holding her head. She is a small girl with strawberry blonde hair. I don't even notice until she gets up that in place of her legs are two prosthetic ones.

Recovering quickly, I offer my hand to her. She quickly accepts it and immediately starts apologizing.

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! I'm so so so sorry!" She pleads to me.

"It's really okay. I'm fine, see?" I had said something similar to my brother while in the hospital.

I notice Misha pick something up and realize the girl had knocked my eyepatch off. The short girl notices and realizes she came around the corner I couldn't see.

"I'm really sorry," she repeats, using puppy dog eyes similar to Misha.

I put my patch back on and smile.

"What's your name?" I ask.

A surprised look comes across the petite girl's face.

"Emi Ibarazaki! You can call me Emi, though," she replies. "And what's yours? I haven't seen you around before."

"My name's Sean Lynch. I just transferred from America."

I expect her to become more interested, like my classmates, but that's not the case.

"Okay, it was nice meeting you, but I've gotta go."

And like that, she speeds off down the hall.

After that, I decide I should return to class. I bid farewell to Misha and Shizune and enter class a few minutes before the bell rings. Might as well get prepared for the rest of the day.

* * *

**AN: A special thanks to Mister Vault 101 for the awesome cover art, and for helping me with the story. If you did not know he edits my chapters, makes sure there are no spelling mistakes and what-not**.

**At the beginning of the chapter Sean is remembering being in Seattle. Therefore it is past-tense. Just thought I'd clear that up.**

**All reviews are appreciated, I am new at this so please use constructive criticism as you see fit.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: First Impressions**

One thing I noticed since losing my vision that really bothered me was that, in certain situations, I couldn't just glance at things. For example, when I might wake up before my alarm goes off, I can't just glance at it. I actually have to sit up and turn my body just to see it.

The same thing started to happen. I sat up and looked at my clock, wide awake. **7:07, **it read. _Damn, I was really looking forward to some extra sleep._ I decided to go get a shower early, that way I had time for breakfast.

On the way to the showers, I didn't wear my eyepatch. The light inside the boys' dorm wasn't really bothering my eye, so I left it off.

I made my way to the showers uninterrupted. _Looks like nobody else is up yet,_ I observed._ I can't blame them._

I took a look in the mirror and stared at my useless eye with my functioning one. Its dark blue color had become progressively cloudy as the weeks went on. It looked very different from my working eye.

I took a good look at myself, my short brown hair having succumbed to 'bed head.' My arms began to look smaller than before the accident. I had a normal exercise routine I followed before the incident. _But I can't follow it now, unless I want to go completely blind. That doesn't seem promising._

Prior to the incident, I went to the gym every other morning and worked out. I was planning on going to college for baseball. I was one of the better catchers in our area and had received a few scholarship offers.

My uncle had always wanted to see me play for North Carolina. He died three years ago. _Has it really been that long? It seems like just the other day he was discussing the happenings from the Pirates game that was on the night before._

I shook my head and decided a nice shower would calm my nerves.

After I finished, I looked at the time on my phone. **7:34, **it read. _Plenty of time for breakfast and maybe a short exploration of the school before school starts._

I made my way to the cafeteria and ate my breakfast. Sitting alone at lunch or breakfast always depressed me a bit. I _was_ the new kid, though, so it was kind of understandable.

As I made my way through the school, I decided to explore a bit on my own. Misha and Shizune didn't really show me the second floor that much the day before, so I thought it would be a good time to look around.

I noticed at the end of the hallway there were two double doors and a few glass windows around them. I decided the room looked to be of some importance, so I headed there first.

I saw a few posters in the windows, quickly realizing it was the library. However, upon closer inspection, I noticed there were no lights on inside of it. _Guess the librarian isn't in yet._

As I started to turn, I noticed the room across from me was open, its light on. Curious, I pushed the door completely open and my body froze when I saw who was sitting at the table.

It was the blonde girl who sits next to me in class. Her eyes opened and it became apparent that she had the same cloudiness in both of her eyes that I have in my left eye. I knew she had some kind of sight problem, mainly because she was in my class, but I didn't know she was completely blind.

"Is someone there?" she asked.

"Uh yeah," I replied. "I'm Sean Lynch. I sit next to you in class." I never had a conversation with a blind person before, so this seemed like it could be a good learning experience.

"Of course, the American boy. I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. My name is Lilly Satou. You can call me Lilly by the way." Lilly? That name hardly seems Japanese.

"Well in that case, you can call me Sean."

"Well then, Sean, take a seat." She pointed her hand out to the empty seat across from her. The morning sun coming in from the window illuminated the room and her blonde hair seemingly gleamed in the light.

I took a seat across from Lilly and placed my arms on the table.

"So Sean, what brings you to the tea room?" she asked with her eyes closed

"Well, I was kind of just walking around the school a bit. I noticed the library at the end of the hall." I kind of wanted to know when it opened, since I did like reading somewhat.

"I was heading there myself but realized it isn't open yet. It usually opens at about eight-fifteen."

I pulled out my phone and looked at it to see how long we had to wait. "It's eight-oh-seven right now. We could head over there now, if you'd like."

Lilly seemed rather proper, keeping her hands folded on her lap and not slouching. "That sounds nice. Yuuko should be in by now, so I'll just have to clean up here." She finished her drink and started to put the tea set away.

"Do you want some help?" It only seemed appropriate.

"Yes, thank you very much," she said, smiling. We finished putting the set away and headed out into the hall. Lilly pulled out a retractable cane as we made our way down the hall.

"The lights are on now, so I assume the librarian is here," I observed.

She nodded. We walked silent the rest of the way, the only sound was the tapping of her cane on the ground.

I noticed that she traversed the halls very well. _She's probably been here for a while. _

We came upon the double doors of the library. Being the gentleman I am, I pushed them open and held them for Lilly.

"After you," I said.

A small smile came across her face. "Thank you very much."

We walked up to the main counter, but I didn't see the librarian anywhere.

"Yuuko?" Lilly said. A loud crash was heard behind the desk and a woman popped up, holding her head in pain.

"Yes, how can I help you?" The librarian's eyebrows raised when she noticed Lilly. "Oh, Lilly! Are you here about those books you had me order?" She seemed to be a bit on edge and her eyes darted straight to me. I didn't think she noticed me at first. "And who are you? I haven't seen you before."

"This is Sean, he's a transfer student from America," Lilly informed. Yuuko, like most people, became a little more interested in me when she heard I'm American.

"You can call me Sean." I wanted to be on a first name basis with everyone if I could.

"Sean, this is Yuuko. She is the librarian here." Yuuko bowed as she got introduced.

"It's nice to meet you," I said, once again trying to be very polite.

"About those books..." Lilly said, refocusing Yuuko onto the previous subject.

"Right, right, right..." she repeated as she searched the drawers for Lilly's order. "Here they are!" She held the books up for emphasis

I looked at the clock and noticed it read **8:24**.

"Uhh... Lilly?"

"Yes Sean?" She had a quizzical look on her face.

"We should probably head to class."

She seemed surprised at my statement and quickly grabbed her cane. "Thank you very much Yuuko. Come on Sean, we don't want to be late." I didn't argue with that and opened the door so we could go to class.

* * *

I was very bored during class, since I knew most of what was being taught. It was kind of just reviewing what I'd already learned.

We had been split into groups earlier in class. I was kind of disappointed I didn't get to be in a group with Lilly, since she was really the only person I remotely knew.

Instead, I was put with Kouta Hamasaki, a guy who was only partially blind like me, and Haruka Tachibana, a girl who was completely blind.

They were both pretty cool and we got all of our work done fairly fast, so I wasn't complaining.

Mrs. Miyagi would check on me every so often. I didn't need much help with the work, it was just communicating that was giving me a little trouble.

I ate lunch with Misha and Shizune. They pestered me about joining the Student Council almost the entire time, which left me kind of irritated.

The rest of the day dragged on and was fairly uneventful. Just introductory stuff that was still fairly fresh in my head from my junior year.

The bell rang and everyone packed their stuff. I was about to get up and leave when I heard a voice call from my right side.

"Yeah Lilly, what's up?"

"Would you like to join me in the tea room for a little while?" she asked. She seemed kind of wary about asking me.

"Yeah, sure. I'll come." I didn't expect being invited to hang out so soon, but I didn't know what the tea room was. _Unless it's the room we met in..._

"Great! Shall we be off then?"

_Shall? Really?_ I snickered a little at that. "Yeah let's go."

We left the room and went down the stairs. All the while, not a single word was said. Once we were at the room, which was indeed the one we met in, I opened the door for her and followed her in.

I was surprised to see another person in the room with us. She had purple hair and seemed very surprised to see me. She was most likely shocked, actually.

She quickly went to Lilly's side.

"Hanako, this is Sean. Sean, Hanako."

Hanako seemed really on edge so I decided I should be extra nice.

"Hi, it's really nice to meet you." I kept a wide smile on my face the whole time, probably looking stupid.

"Y-yeah. N-n-nice to... meet you, t-too," she returned, anxiety soaking her soft words. Her stuttering didn't help, either.

There was a short and awkward silence.

"Why don't we all sit down, then?" Lilly said after what seemed like forever.

I didn't even notice the right side of Hanako's face until I turned to sit down. Merely by the angle in which I sat, I noticed that the whole right side of her face was scarred and it seemed like a good portion of the right side of her body was as well.

Lilly took her seat and Hanako quickly sat next to her. I sat across from them. My eyepatch was getting on my nerves so I decided to take it off for a while. I put it in my pocket, and when I looked up, I noticed Hanako looking at my left eye. She quickly looked away when I noticed.

"I'm s-sorry," she said, her eyes glued to the table.

"No it's fine." She looked up, confused. _Likely because of how straightforward I am._ "I have a disease called Lattice Degeneration. It causes your retina to weaken. I took a blow to the head while playing baseball and the retina in my left eye detached."

"I s-see," she softly said.

Another awkward silence crept upon us. Lilly again was the savior.

"So Hanako... Did I mention that Sean here is American?"

Hanako didn't seem to be affected by my nationality. "Maybe you c-could practice your English with him."_ I didn't know they taught English here._

"You speak English?" I asked in English.

"Yes I do. We all learn a bit, but I take mine more seriously than most." She replied, also in English.

It was nice hearing English again even if it was only a short sentence.

The rest of the time spent with the two girls was fairly uneventful. A little small talk, mainly from Lilly, and some tea drinking. I enjoyed it though, since it was nice to relax a little.

After a while, I stood and said farewell to the girls, deciding to go back to the dorms.

It wasn't really late but I had homework and wanted to study a little Japanese while I could.

**AN: **I apologize for the delayed upload. Our football team started two-a-days last week, so I was very tired and had no motivation to type. Since we start school this week there will be a large decrease in uploads. I am also going to a Pirates game on Saturday and have my Fantasy Football draft on Sunday. I will try and type when I can but otherwise there may not be another chapter until next week.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: What Now?**

"_Next up to bat: Number nineteen, Sean Lynch."_

_THWACK!_

"_And look at Lynch, with his twentieth home run of the season! Raiders are up ten to three!"_

I woke up in a cold sweat, my heart racing and alarm blaring. _What was that? A happy nightmare?_ I had begun to have these nights where I would vaguely relive moments from my baseball career.

I took a deep breath and collected myself. I grabbed some things to shower with and continued my morning ritual.

On my way to the showers, it became apparent to me that a few more guys were awake than the days before. I nodded to a few of them and headed directly to the showers.

I took another good look in the mirror, noticing my eye was extremely cloudy at that point. It also was very clear that my neck and chin area needed to be shaved. _Wish I remembered that bag. I look like hell._

I decided to go into town and find a mini-mart or something after school before getting in the shower.

* * *

Another day of what was review for me was dragging on, and I began to doze off in class when the pesky bell started its ringing. The end of the school day was something I looked forward to, since I didn't really socialize with anyone besides Lilly and, as of late, Hanako. My interactions with Hanako were fairly limited, however.

I asked Lilly if she was doing anything after class and she said I could join her and Hanako for tea. We left our classroom to go to Hanako's, that way we could walk to the tea room together. The shy girl seemed surprised to see me, but not shocked like she was yesterday.

"Hey Hanako, what's up?" She seemed taken aback by my greeting.

"Hello S-Sean," she warily greeted me. She smiled when she saw Lilly and rushed to her side. "Hi Lilly." She was much more enthusiastic with Lilly, obviously.

We headed down to the second floor and into the tea room. Lilly and I sat down while Hanako began making the tea, Lilly and I making irrelevant smalltalk.

Hanako placed the cup in front of Lilly and slowly moved it toward her hand.

"H-here you go Lilly. Here's y-yours, Sean."

I picked up the cup and sipped. "Wow this is really good." 'Twas a true statement, since I hadn't really drank any tea I considered good before.

A small smile came across Hanako's face. "Really? Y-you think so?"

"Yeah, way better than any I've had before." I finished the tea in a few gulps and let out a small burp.

"Excuse me." I pulled out my phone and looked at the time, remembering I wanted to go into town and get something to shave with.

"Well I've got some things to do, so I'll see you two later." I got up out of my chair and took my cup to the tea set box. After that, we said our goodbyes and I was on my way.

After exiting the tea room, I strolled down to the lobby, exited, and headed to the dorms. I went up to my room to grab my wallet, left my room and the dorms, and headed to the front gate. I saw some kids walking down the hill before, so I assumed it was okay to go off of school grounds.

The trek down the hill was sort of long, but before long, I got to the town and began my search for a mini-mart or something of the sort.

I passed several buildings until I found one with a sign that read "Aura-Mart" in English. _Guess this place is as good as any._

I walked in and was surprised to another person in the Yamaku school uniform. It was somewhat of a shock to see that she had no arms, but there was Emi, who had no legs. She had messy reddish hair and wore a boy's uniform, but looked like she was spaced-out to the extreme.

I nodded to her in a polite way, but my politeness went unnoticed. It seemed like she wasn't only spaced-out, but possibly catatonic. She blinked, confirming that she was alive, but still didn't acknowledge my presence. I decided it was in my best interest to continue on my quest for the Holy Shaving Supplies and ignore the comatose armless girl.

It didn't take long for me to find the shaving tools I needed, going to the check-out line almost immediately after.

I noticed another student had entered the store, this one with blackish-brown hair. _She looks familiar. Isn't she in my class?_ She saw me and walked up to me. Upon quickly looking closer, my suspicions were confirmed. She had the same cloudiness in her right eye that I have in my left, meaning she was half-blind.

"You're Lynch right?" _This surname thing is gonna take some getting used to._

"Yeah, but just call me Sean. And you are...?" I questioned.

"I'm Akari Ishida, but you can call me Akari," she said. "I remember you mentioned in class that you used to play baseball, right?" _What could she possibly be asking this for?_

I nodded. "I played catcher. But I haven't picked up a baseball in a month or so."

A wide grin came across her face. _I_ _don't know if I like where this is going. _

"Well you see, my brother pitches. He's usually very good, but he's been having a lot of trouble lately..." she said, utilizing the puppy dog offensive maneuver. _Again a girl is using puppy dog eyes on me._

"So you want me to try and help him?" _I do have a lot of experience with pitchers and I could probably help, but with my eye..._

"Will you please? I would really appreciate it." She had her hands held together, as if she was begging me. The puppy dog eyes threw me into a guilt trip.

"Sure, when does he have a free day?" _What am I getting myself into?_

"He has practice on Saturday, so I was thinking you could help him and the team." I realized I didn't even know how old the kid was.

"Quick question. Just how old is he?" It's important I knew, because if he's at least thirteen I would be able to show him some breaking pitches.

"He's fourteen and plays in pony league." _Okay, I can work with that._

"Okay. Well, after school you can take me to the field, and I'll see what I can do." I figured it couldn't hurt to try.

"Yay! Thank you so much! Well I've gotta go and make the arrangements, so I'll see you later."

Before I could even say "goodbye," she ran out of the store.

* * *

I didn't get much sleep the night before. My mind was racing, I was thinking a lot about my uncle as of late. I was bothered at night by what I thought were nightmares, and I was always told the best way to get rid of nightmares was to talk about them.

I had few options as to who I could talk with, considering I couldn't easily contact my parents about it. There are only two people at Yamaku I could even consider talking to about it and I barely knew them.

_Hanako doesn't seem to even want to talk to me yet, so she's definitely not my best option. I guess I could talk to Lilly, but even she might not hear me out. Oh well, this is something I'm willing to look stupid for. I'll just see if she'll talk and go from there._

Lilly had said she was going to the tea room after school if I wanted to join her. Hanako wasn't there at lunch, either, so I'd be able to talk to her alone.

The bell rang. Lilly and I headed for the tea room, and as she made the tea, I was having second thoughts about bringing it up at all.

"So Lilly, can I talk to you about something that's been bothering me for a while? I wouldn't bother you with this, but you're about the only person I can talk to here." She looked up and pulled her drink away from her mouth. I knew she wasn't able to see me, but it almost seemed like she could.

"Sure. You can talk to me Sean," she reassured me with a small smile.

"I've been having these dreams from when I played baseball."

She nodded, the same comforting smile on her face.

"In every dream, I see my uncle in the crowd even when I know he wasn't there. He was very supportive of my baseball career and wanted me to go to college for it."

The light coming from the sunset illuminated the tea room and made it very relaxing. I looked at her again, the smile gone and a more serious look replacing it. She didn't seem angry or worried, just thinking, it seemed.

"Are you very close to your uncle?" she asked.

"I was, he died three years ago."

A surprised but understanding expression came across her face. "I see, I'm sorry to hear that." I was going to say 'it's okay because I've had time to get over it,' but that seemed counter-productive.

"He was one of the biggest influences I've had in my life." I hung my head a little. "The truth is, I've never really gotten over losing him. I visited his grave every Sunday after that, and I would talk to him about my games and how I was doing." I could feel a lump in my throat and I was starting to feel uncomfortably warm.

_What am I doing, pouring my heart out to someone I hardly know? You are such a damn idiot, Sean. She doesn't care about this, just shut up you schmuck._

"I can't say I can relate, but I can say that you shouldn't let this bother you. You should be happy that you're remembering your uncle." She looked straight at me, even though she couldn't see.

"You're right, but while I _am_ remembering him. I'm also remembering that he's gone." My uncle meant a lot to me. He had to work a lot, but he came to every game he could and hung out with me as often as possible. "I'm sorry that I'm putting this on you, but like I said, you're the only person I can talk to here." I could tell I was making her feel sorry for me, and I didn't like that, but I needed to talk it through.

"Sean, you can't keep dwelling on this. It isn't healthy. From what you said, I can tell your uncle loved you very much and wouldn't want you to be sad when you remember him."

Her words were so genuine and soft, motherly even. I could feel warm streams coming down my face. I wasn't bawling my eyes out, but it seemed as though Lilly had picked just the right thing to say.

"Thanks Lilly. I really appreciate you trying to help." Nobody had ever gotten through to me before. I had always rejected what they said, their words having fallen on deaf ears.

"Sean, you don't have to go through this alone. I'll always be here to talk if you need me to." She said it with such care, it was like she had known me for years.

"Thanks, and I will," I said, wiping my face in an attempt to hide the fact that I was crying.

Not much later, I helped Lilly pack up the tea set, and since Hanako wasn't there, I offered to walk her back to the girls dorms.

She accepted and we headed to the dorms, little more than a few words shared between us. I had grown to like these walks, even if it was only after a couple days. I also enjoyed not having to rush around to some out-of-the-way field to play baseball every day.

We reached our destination and said our goodbyes. I walked up to my room, entered, and lied on my bed. I was finally able to go to bed with a clear mind. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Learning Your Limits**

After my discussion with Lilly, I had a much clearer mind. I was able to sleep and dream without any disturbances, and it seemed as though I was more focused in class. On Thursday, I had gone to the tea room with Lilly and Hanako as I usually did. We made smalltalk, but nothing important or noteworthy really happened.

Friday, Akari had told me before lunch that we would take a bus to the baseball park and that the whole team knew I was coming. I was having second thoughts on whether or not to help her brother. I was scared, to be honest. Scared that I wouldn't be able to see the ball and not be able to help.

On Saturday, school went by fairly quickly. I wasn't used to going to school on Saturdays and I considered skipping in the morning. I decided against that though, knowing that I'd have to get used to it eventually. After lunch, I was anxiously awaiting the final bell so I could do some sort of exercise again.

I hadn't even so much as ran since my accident. I didn't see the point in it. _If I'm not gonna play baseball anymore then why should I?_ I figured.

After what felt like an eternity, the bell made its annoying high pitched noise and I headed straight to the dorms to change into some more appropriate attire.

I had packed some shorts and shirts I could exercise in, thinking that maybe I would start running or something eventually. I put on a cut-off t-shirt, some shorts, my baseball cap, and some sunglasses before heading out the door.

Akari was waiting for me outside the boys' dorm. She was still dressed in her school uniform, leaving me to assume she wasn't planning on doing much exercise.

"Hey Akari," I greeted. "What time is the cab supposed to get here?" She left out that detail when she explained her plans.

"Hey," she replied. "It should be here in a few minutes, so we should probably go to the gate and wait for him." It seemed the cabby was early since there was a yellow car at the gate when we got there. My urge to yell 'YELLOW CAR!' almost got the better of me, but fortunately, I restrained myself.

"Is one of you two Ishida?" the cabby asked with what I thought was a strange accent. That may have just been because of my unfamiliarity with Japanese, though.

"Yes, I'm Ishida," Akari said, motioning to herself and me. "We're both going to the station."

He nodded and pointed to the back of his cab. He seemed a little rude but he didn't say much, so it didn't really bother me. It seemed that cabbies didn't change nation-to-nation.

We got in and the cab pulled out to head to the bus station. I was kind of excited to go and help. I suspected I would coach baseball at some point, so it would give me some early practice.

* * *

After the cab got us to the bus station, we boarded a bus. On the bus ride to the field, Akari said she was going to take a short nap, since it was going to take an hour or so to get there. I had brought some headphones with me, so I was listening to music the whole time as well.

At some point in the ride, Akari's head had fallen on my shoulder. I didn't have the heart to wake her up, as she was sound asleep so I left her alone.

A baseball field eventually came into sight. I shook Akari awake when it came into my limited field of view.

"Huh wha...?" She noticed her head was on my shoulder and jolted back. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to...!" She seemed very embarrassed, struggling with her words.

"It's fine, it happens." I reassured her with a winning smile.

The bus gradually came to a stop and we got off. It had been a while since I had seen a baseball field. Probably longer than I ever have during spring.

I saw some kids passing to each other on the field and headed to them. There was an official looking man holding a clipboard, so I decided he would know where the coach is.

"Excuse me, are you these boys' coach?" I asked, with what I hoped was a questioning look on my face.

"You must be Sean. I'm Katashi Yamada, nice to meet you." He pointed to the tallest of the kids. "That's our pitcher, his name is Ryuu Ishida. He's very talented, but lately he's been... inconsistent." He handed me a catcher's mitt. "See what you can do."

I ran onto the field and up to Ryuu. I watched his throwing motion on my way over to him. It seemed flawless at first, but I noticed a few minor things as I looked more closely.

As I approached him, he stopped passing and walked toward me. Ryuu was tall, even a little taller than me, and not many people I had seen in Japan were close to my height. He had short black hair and was fairly athletic-looking.

"You're Ryuu?" I inquired

"Yeah. I suppose you're Lynch-sensei, right?" _Holy shit! Did he just call me that? _I had only ever heard anyone call someone 'sensei' in karate movies and such.

I nodded. "Please, call me Sean," I replied, still on edge with the surname thing. "Where is your catcher?"

Ryuu pointed to the stocky kid with a catcher's mitt that was jogging toward us.

"Hi!" the catcher exclaimed. "I'm Shinji Abe." _He seems a little hyper_.

Shinji was kind of short, about my height when I was his age. He wasn't fat nor muscular. Instead, he was more of a mix between the two and had curly brown hair, which covered the top part of his eyes.

"I'm Sean." I turned to Ryuu and pointed at him. "Your sister asked me if I could help even though she knew little more than my name. Be sure to thank her." He nodded and seemed to blush a little, which struck me as odd. _Embarrassment, maybe?_

"So!" I clapped my hands together, rubbing them together a little. "Let's see what you've got Ryuu! Shinji, can you grab your mask?" He nodded with enthusiasm and ran to the dugout.

I had thought for a while on the bus about whether or not I should get behind the plate while I was there. After much deliberation, I figured that if I was truly going to help, I had to.

We walked to the pitcher's mound and I motioned for Shinji.

"Okay, so I'm just going to evaluate you and try to find out why you're having so much trouble." Shinji handed me the mask and I headed to home plate. "Whenever you're ready." I got down in my familiar stance and felt extremely comfortable behind the plate. The posture brought back good memories.

Ryuu wound up and began his delivery. While he did so, I noticed he was keeping his back straight. _Bit of a problem there._

He released and shot an absolute bullet into my glove. After a familiar thud hit the leather, I stood up and jogged to the mound.

"Sean-sensei, I only threw one pitch." He seemed a little sad that I had came to him so early.

"Yes, but I've seen all I need to. Now, Shinji I want to get geared up and go behind the plate." The stocky boy ran to the dugout without hesitation.

"Ryuu?" He looked up from the ground, apparently more affected by my early withdrawal than I thought. "I want you to act like you're bringing your leg up to begin your throw, but don't follow through." He seemed confused, so I showed him what I meant. "This will help your balance, in turn your velocity and control will get better."

He seemed eager to try, so I stepped down. Ryuu stepped onto the mound and repeated what I showed him multiple times. His balance wasn't the greatest, but he soon caught on. I noticed that Shinji was finished putting on his gear and started heading for home plate.

"Okay. I just want fastballs, don't overdo it and if there's something I want to address, I'll stop you." He nodded and began his first pitch, it had the same force as when he pitched to me.

He kept pitching and I noticed he still wasn't bending his back enough. I decided to bring it up later, taking one step at a time. He threw ten or twelve more pitches before I decided to stop him.

"Yamada, could you send someone over here to bat?" He nodded and motioned someone to bat for us. "All I need you to do is stand there and make sure you don't get hit." He took his place and Ryuu wound up.

He began his motion, but he didn't follow through this time. The pitch was wild, almost hitting the kid in the batter's box.

"Hold on!" I stopped him from getting in his windup again. "Are you afraid of hitting the batter?" A somewhat wistful expression crept across his face.

"That's fine," I sighed, taking off my cap and running a hand through my hair. "I can probably fix that. I just need you to completely forget there is anyone here except for you and Shinji. Just focus."

He picked up his head and directed his attention to Shinji, ball in hand. He wound up and delivered a perfect strike into Shinji's mitt. Ryuu spun around to look at me, excitement in his eyes. I felt accomplishment come over me and couldn't help but smile.

"Good! Now keep it going!" I encouraged.

Ryuu quickly began his windup again and delivered another strike. He did so for a while and eventually I noticed his pitches were not only accurate, but they seemed to be getting faster.

He continued for about fifteen more pitches before he suddenly turned to me and bowed. "Thank you so much Sean-sensei."

_There he goes again with that sensei stuff again. _"Don't worry about it. And please, just call me Sean. However, now that you've got the hang of it, I want you to practice your breaking balls and any kind of change-ups you use."

He bowed again. "Thank you, Sean-se... Sean."

I checked the time on my phone and noticed it was starting to get late. "Well I think your sister and I have to get going now, but if you ever need me to help you again, don't hesitate to let your sister know."

He nodded and I waved to Ryuu and Shinji, making my way off of the field.

* * *

The bus ride was another opportunity for me to reflect on my time in Japan. I seemed to be doing am awful lot of thinking and reflecting ever since my accident. I had spent countless hours listening to music and thinking about home. I missed my family, but it was also nice to be away from them for a while.

I hadn't been away from my family for longer than a week before. It was a harsh look at reality in a way. I was planning on going to college hundreds of miles away, and I hadn't even thought how difficult it would be for me. _At least I managed to make some new friends, _I optimistically reflected.

Time on the bus had seemed to fly, since we were back at the city in no time. Our cab was waiting for us when we got there. We hopped in and headed back to Yamaku, my mission compete.

We rolled up to the front gate no more than thirty minutes later. After saying my goodbyes to Akari, I headed up to my room. I was sweaty from the sunny day spent at the field and decided to hit the showers.

Halfway down the stairs, I realized I forgot my towel. I headed back up the stairs and noticed my door was slightly open. _I could've sworn I shut and locked it._ I walked up to my room trying to be as quiet as possible.

I looked through my door with my only functioning eye to saw the scarf-wearing guy with glasses going through my drawers. _The hell?_

"Hey!" I yelled "What're you doing?!" He was startled by me and bolted for the door. I grabbed him by the collar and decided to shake answers out of him.

"What are you doing in here?! How did you get in here?" I wanted answers.

He just looked at me, a terrified look in his eye. "Let go of me, feminist-sympathizing scum!" His voice was shaky.

"What are you talking about?" I tightened my grip on his shirt, to the point where I was lifting him off of the ground. A little bit of rage started to break free. "You better choose your next words carefully."

He gulped and cleared his throat. "So what you're saying is, you're not a feminist-sympathizer?"

"What the hell are you talking about feminists for?!"

He looked at me, genuinely confused. "You mean you're not in league with that blind bitch?"

_Is he talking about Lilly? _"Watch your mouth! Lilly and I are friends, and I don't know anything about any feminists or anything like that."

His expression started to relax and I decided to loosen my grip on him, letting him down in the process.

"That's good," he said. "This means that you and I-"

I cut him off by pushing him out of my room. "I don't know what you think I've been doing, but I assure you I have nothing to do with feminists." With that I shut and locked the door.

"What an idiot..." I muttered to myself. I plopped onto my bed and pulled my shoes off. The eyepatch came off as well, getting stuck on my nightstand. My clock read **8:31**. I normally wouldn't go to bed that early but I had a long day and was ready to go to sleep, deciding to shower in the morning.

**AN: I wanted to introduce Kenji in a creative and believable way, and that was the main purpose of this chapter. Akari and Ryuu probably won't have a huge presence in future chapters, but I may mention them. I will try and upload every weekend from now on since it is almost the only free time I have due to football and school work. Any and all reviews are appreciated and if you have any questions I will PM you.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:  
**

A few weeks passed and I was told that Ryuu was doing much better. His team won seven games and only lost one, Ryuu having five of the wins. It felt good since I've always wanted to help people in any way I could. I even planned on going to the military after high school and would have done so, were it not for baseball.

The scarfed guy who broke into my room turned out to be in my class. His name was Kenji and he actually wasn't a bad guy, just kind of paranoid. Alright, very paranoid.

He was convinced that since I was hanging out with Lilly so much, I was some sort of "sleeper agent" for a militant feminist group. I assured him neither I nor Lilly were apart of the feminist group he was convinced was taking over the school. He seemed to accept my reasoning.

I noticed that my social standing in Yamaku was much different than at Uniontown. I expected as much, since I only talked to a total of four people on a regular basis. In my old school, I knew almost everybody. I was friends with a lot of people and people seemed to want to be around me. At Yamaku, however, I made no effort to make friends. I only became friends with Lilly and Hanako completely by accident, Akari was just someone I helped out, and Kenji was just... there.

I also began to realize my grades were much better than ever before. I usually would get about a three point five GPA on my report card, but at Yamaku, I was acing almost every test. Subjects like math, which I loathed, became easier and I had A's in all of my classes. I pegged my academic success on all the free time I had. Without having to rush around all the time for baseball, I had plenty of time to do homework and study.

My Japanese was becoming better with each passing day. I still sucked at writing Japanese but speaking it was becoming almost second nature to me. Lilly had me help her practice her English in our free time. She was very good at English, though she spoke very formally, almost. Hanako, however, wasn't as good as Lilly, though she wasn't horrible. She had me study with her during lunch and on some days, after school along with Lilly.

* * *

Since I had so much spare time, I decided to continue exercising and working out. I joined a gym that was in the small city near Yamaku.

While I was still playing baseball, my weight was 235 pounds. Since my accident, I dropped to 215. That kind of bothered me since I had worked so hard to reach that weight, so I decided to try and gain a little bit of that muscle back.

_...thirteen, fourteen, fifteen._

CLANG!

_Damn I'm out of shape. I used to put up twice this._ I finished my workout and headed to the showers.

I decided I would work out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. That was only half of the days I worked out when I was in the States. I only decided to go today, a Sunday, to get an early start. I finished my shower and checked my phone.

**1 missed call, Lilly.**

_Wonder what she wants, _I pondered. I selected the 'redial' option and waited for her to pick up.

"Hello, Lilly Satou speaking," she answered.

"It's Sean. Did you need something?" I asked in English.

"Oh, Sean!" She sounded a little surprised. "Yes, I need you to hurry up and get back here," she said in English. I had begun to speak in English at random times to test her in all situations.

"Is something wrong?" I must've sounded worried.

"No, no, not at all. I just need you to come to the dorms as soon as you can." _The dorms? Why the dorms? _

"Okay. I just finished and was about to get something to eat before coming back." A Subway opened in the city and I was craving a taste of America.

"That sounds fine. I'll see you then, Sean."

"Okay, bye." I hung up and began changing into my other clothes.

_Wonder what that's about. She sounded like it was urgent..._

I decided to not dwell on it anymore and finished changing.

I headed over to the Subway I had seen and noticed it was fairly crowded. I knew just one sandwich wouldn't be enough to satisfy me, so I ordered two meatball hoagies. I decided to eat them on the bus to hasten my return.

* * *

I called Lilly and told her to meet me in front of the dorms. I could see her after I entered the gate. Not wanting to make her wait, I jogged over to her.

"Hey Lilly, what's going on?" I greeted.

She skipped the formalities and went straight to business. "You might be a little surprised when I tell you this, but there is another student from America coming here."

_I guess that is a little surprising, but she seems to be making a big deal out of this._

"Well, maybe I could show them around then," I suggested. Another American student seemed promising.

A worried look came across her face. "No, you can't!" she almost shouted at me. "Sorry, but this person is from your hometown and he went to your school."

_A guy from Uniontown? _I could almost feel my jaw drop, I was speechless. "Who is he?"

"Does the name 'Adolf Riese' ring any bells?" she asked.

"Uh, y-yeah... He was on the hockey team. Why? What happened?" I was shocked, but I needed to figure why he was coming to Japan.

"He was in a car crash a few months ago, and they found out that he had an arrhythmia," she explained.

"Damn, I forgot about that," I said sadly. "It happened before I flew over. I couldn't visit him in the hospital or go to his sister's funeral. It's a shame..."

"What is?" Lilly asked, curious.

"About his sister. That's really all he had left since his parents died when he was young. He's lived with his aunt and uncle for as long as I can remember."

Lilly nodded, possibly sympathizing with Adolf. "Indeed it is."

"Well, then why can't I show him around? I don't think there would be anyone better here than me." I was pretty good friends with Adolf. I knew his sister as well and I wanted to catch up a little.

"He also suffered a minor concussion and the doctors suspect some kind of memory loss. They want him to regain his memory on his own and his memories of some people may have been affected. That means you could be one of them."

"How do you know so much about Adolf anyway?" She seemed to be quite well-informed on such a random person. _And what does she mean about memory loss?_

"There was a meeting that all of the class representatives were supposed to attend. I'm supposed to inform you of the situation before they arrive tomorrow."

"What do you mean, 'they?'" I asked.

"There is another person with arrhythmia coming tomorrow, but we weren't really informed about him," she sighed and seemed uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" I inquired.

"I'm nervous about this Adolf guy, Sean. He's not in good mental health. He also has ADHD, and I'm sure that can't help his situation."

I was kind of surprised by her statement, although Adolf did mention to me before that he had ADHD, along with being bipolar. He's also been known to have kind of a short fuse at times.

_Choose your words carefully, Sean. You don't want to scare her or anything._

"There's nothing to be worried about," I reassured her. "Adolf's a good guy, despite the name. He's kinda like me, in a way. I wouldn't be friends with him otherwise."

A small smile came across her face. "If he's like you, then I'm sure we'll become good friends," she said.

_Huh. Looks like I chose pretty damn well. Good job, Sean._

It surprised me a bit that mentioning he might be like me would change her mind so easily.

"I hope so. I don't want you to be worried about one of my friends," I said with a smile.

My legs started getting tired and I felt like just lying down and relaxing.

"Are you doing anything later?" she asked, completely out-of-the-blue.

"No. I was just gonna lay down and eat something, why?" I still had an extra meatball hoagie I didn't eat on the bus and planned on that being my dinner.

"Well, Hanako and I are going to have tea later, and I thought you might like to come." She seemed to be blushing as she asked me

_She had asked me to join her tons of times before. I don't see why she should be nervous now. It's kinda cute, though._

"Sure," I said. "Sounds like a plan."

"Okay, then meet us in room 225 at eight o'clock." With that being said, she turned away and headed for the girls' dorms.

"Lilly!" She turned in the direction of my voice. "You know you're cute when you're nervous."

She blushed again, spun around, and continued to the dorms.

* * *

I was a little worried about what people would think if they saw a guy go into the girls' dorms and just walk into someone's room. I figured (and hoped) they would assume that nothing against the rules was going on when they saw me go into Lilly's room.

On the way up to Lilly's room, I saw a few girls I knew and waved to them. They gave me odd looks, as expected, but I ignored them and continued up the stairs.

"225... 225..." I muttered to myself in English before coming to a plate with the number on it. "Ah, here it is." I collected myself and knocked on the door.

"Is that Sean?" a familiar voice called from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, it's me. Can I come in, or am I just going to freeze out here?" It wasn't cold, since it was the first of June, but that wasn't important.

"The door's unlocked."

I turned the door knob and pushed the door open.

The light hit me in the face and blinded me for a second. I didn't have my eyepatch on, so the light kind of bothered my left eye, but my right eye focused in on an appealing sight that made the irritation almost unnoticeable.

On the floor, next to a table I assumed was for tea, sat Lilly and Hanako. They were both dressed in what I assumed were their pajamas.

Lilly wore a deep blue-colored outfit with thigh-high shorts and a long-sleeved button-up shirt. Hanako, however, wore a pink blouse that was several sizes too big for her and kind of looked like something my grandmother would wear to bed.

Hanako was looking directly at the table and seemed to be more nervous than she usually was around me. I then noticed that the blouse revealed some more of her scarring than usual. I could see the scars on her neck and some on her shoulder. Not trying to stare, I decided to join them at the table.

"So, what's going on?" I inquired as I sat down.

"Hanako and I were discussing how we don't know much about you. All we really know is that you used to play baseball," Lilly said.

"If you want to know more about me, I'd be glad to let you know whatever you want," I said, trying to be as open as possible.

"How about you tell us a little more about when you played baseball?" _As good a place to start as any._

"Well, as you know, I lived in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Baseball at my school wasn't a very big deal compared to other sports, though our football team sucks, as does our soccer team. My freshman year, which is ninth grade in the U.S., I was the starting catcher for the varsity team and we made it to the playoffs for the first time in eight years. We were eliminated in the first round, but it was a big deal for us, regardless."

"The next year, we made it to the semi-finals. The year after, we were eliminated in the semis again. After my junior year, I was ranked as the seventh best catcher in the state. I was supposed to go to college for baseball, but then I had my... accident in a scrimmage game. All of my scholarship opportunities were then withdrawn." I took a deep breath, my oxygen supply drained after all of that talking.

"I had no idea you were so good," Lilly said, sipping her tea.

"Well, I had a great teacher." I smiled as I thought of my uncle and took a sip of my tea.

"What about your friends and girlfriends?" Lilly asked randomly.

I almost spit tea across the room. "What?" I asked. I was in shock as I wiped my face of the tea I held back from becoming a scalding projectile.

"You said we could ask anything, and I'm sure it would've come up anyway." She seemed to have a slight grin forming. Nonetheless, she was probably right and I did say that any questions would be answered.

"Okay, if you really want to know. I had a lot of friends, but a lot of people also seemed to not like me at all. Some even wanted to fight me, but being as big as I was, they usually had second thoughts." I knew I sounded like I was boasting, but it was true.

"Why do you say that?" Lilly asked

"Well... there seemed to be a lot of rumors going around about me, which I had no idea got started. A lot of people at my school got in fights anyway, so it was a bad combination." I explained

"What did they say about you?" Lilly asked a curious look on her face

"They said I was a racist and that I made fun of poor people and things like that."

"Why would they say such things about you?" she asked

"I was never anything but nice to everyone who gave me the same courtesy." I sipped at the tea again. "I guess they were just kind of jealous of my popularity and how good I was at baseball. I even volunteered at an orphanage from time-to-time for my senior project, yet people still seemed to think I was a terrible person." I was starting to get a bit off-topic, almost going into a rant.

I saw Hanako's head pick up "Y-you volunteered... a-at an orphanage?" Hanako softly asked.

"Yeah, we had to do some sort of community service to graduate, so I decided to volunteer and donate my time to an orphanage," I explained, aware that neither of them likely knew about senior projects.

"Th-that was... really n-nice of you," she said with a small smile.

"And as for girlfriends, I had a few girls I talked to for a while but with baseball I didn't have much time for them and our relationships ended fairly quickly." I wasn't usually the kind of guy who would date someone just to date them.

"Well that's their loss." Lilly said again sipping her tea.

I nodded and looked at my phone, becoming surprised when I saw the time.

"Wow. Time flies, huh?" I finished my tea and stood. "I should probably get going." I grabbed my shoes and began to head for the door.

"What time is it?" Lilly asked.

"About nine forty-five" I replied. It was actually **9:43.**

"Then I guess I'll see you in class, Sean." Lilly nodded her head in the direction my voice came in farewell.

"B-bye, Sean," Hanako stuttered.

"See ya." I closed the door behind me as I left.

I never thought I would meet anyone in Japan that would be so interested in me. I decided to get out of the girls dorms before I started to really think, so I headed out of the girls' dorms and into the boys'.

I got into my pajamas and sat at my computer for a while, writing an e-mail to my mom. After I sent it, I lied on my bed, feeling my eyes get heavier and heavier before drifting off into sleep.

**AN: I apologize for the delay on this chapter. With the release of GTA V, I have been very "preoccupied." You may notice that Lilly acts differently with Sean than she does with Hisao. I wanted their relationship to be different than in Lilly's actual route. That said, I won't completely change her personality just to do something different. I also wanted Hanako's relationship to be a little different as well. I suck at chapter names so if they seem generic then I'm sorry. Yes the Adolf Riese in my fic is the same Adolf from American Displacement Disorder(which I highly recommend). If you didn't know Mister Vault 101 is a close friend of mine and I started a fic so we thought they should intertwine a bit.**  
** Any criticism or advice is always appreciated, but please be constructive since I am still fairly new at this.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: New Faces**

I got up early, in hopes of testing Lilly's theory that my old friend wouldn't remember me. I waited for a while in the dorms to see if he would show up, but I caught no sight of him.  
I really did want to see Adolf. I knew what kind of person he was, how he would try and suppress his anger and frustration, and I wanted to make sure he was alright. I decided to catch up with him later since I was going to be late for class.

The first half of the day was spent planning for the festival the school was going to have on the eighth, six days from now. Having already done most of the work, we were just assigning jobs.  
I, of course, was given the duty of any and all heavy lifting. This kind of dissapointed me since I wouldn't be able to enjoy any of the festival, and we were even going to have fireworks.

At the lunch bell's ringing, I headed to the tea room as per usual, but noticed that neither Hanako or Lilly were in the tea room. They were usually there before me, but it wasn't out of the question that I could've beaten them.  
A few minutes passed before I heard the door crack. I looked to the right and twisted my torso to see who was entering the tea room. Sure enough, I saw a head of blonde hair enter with a dark mass of hair following closely behind.

"Where have you guys been?" I inquired.  
"We just got held up by Mutou. He was commending Hanako on her English improvements," Lilly explained.  
"Y-your friend arrived," Hanako softly commented.  
"Does he seem well?" I ask.  
"H-he seems fine to me. I-It's just, ummm..." Hanako struggled to get the words out.  
"What's the matter?" I asked, slightly worried about my friend. Maybe on edge is a better way of putting it.  
"He d-doesn't seem to be as nice as you are," she finally said.  
"Oh, I thought something was wrong." I breathe a sigh of relief. "Just get to know him. I promise he's a nice guy," I reassured her.  
_Maybe I'll walk past him in the dorms or something later, I'm sure he'll recognize me if he hasn't forgotten me._ I make a mental note to try that later.  
"Well, I hope everything works out with him," Lilly interjected.

Hanako decided to spend the rest of lunch in the library and left. I had been toying with the notion of kind of asking Lilly on a date for a week or so. I wanted to ask her, but couldn't work up the courage previously, but it seemed like a good time.  
"Lilly?" My voice felt like it was about to crack.  
"Yes, Sean?" she replied quickly, her tone as sweet as ever.  
"Are you doing anything later?" I gulped a bit, fearing rejection.  
"Now that you mention it, I'm not doing anything really," she said, sipping her tea.  
"Well, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to go into Sendai with me today, after school." I was sweating bullets. My palms felt as soaked as anything caught in a hurricane.  
"I don't know Sean I'm not the athletic type." She said jokingly  
"No, no, nothing like that. I found this nice little restaurant and I was hoping you would accompany me." My proposition caused her cheeks to turn a tint of pink.

"I don't think that's a good idea, considering we won't be able to properly enjoy ourselves." Her tone implied guilt for some reason, as did her face.  
My heart sunk, for I didn't think it was rejection that influenced her decision, just inconvenience. Either way, it made me feel like shit.  
"I've got an idea. How about we just go somewhere in the town?" she suggested

I had been at Yamaku for a month or so already, but I hadn't really explored the town much. I bought most groceries in the AuraMart, but I hadn't gone many other places, so I wasn't familiar with the restaurants there. Hell, I didn't think the town had any.

"Like where?" I asked, scratching the facial hair under my chin.

"There's this place called the Shanghai. It has pretty good tea and the food isn't bad, either." She seemed confident. Really confident.

I really wanted to take Lilly somewhere kind of nice for the things I planned on discussing, but maybe the weekend would be a better time to go to the city.

"That sounds alright. I guess going to the city on a week day isn't really that great of an idea. Do you just wanna go after school, or a little later?" I asked.

"I have nothing to do right after school, so I guess then is fine."

Soon after, the lunch bell rang, cuing us to go back to class. I cleaned up the tea set and we began to walk back to our class. On the way down the hall, I noticed a familiar face at the end. I looked right at him and he seemed to look right back at me. I noticed the Student Council was with him, most likely giving him his tour. Along side them was a Japanese guy that I assumed was the other new student. He had messy brown hair and was several inches shorter than I.

_Well if it isn't mein Fuhrer._

He looked the same as the last time I had seen him. He was taller than the other guy with them but shorter than me by a few inches. He was of a similar build as me, except skinnier. He had the same uncombed sandy blonde hair as usual, and was looking as American as ever.

I stood frozen, waiting for my old friend to crack a smile and walk toward me. However, he simply glanced at me and continued on his way, totally ignoring me.

He really has forgotten me... A part of me was hurt, even though I knew his memory was out of his control.

I had been enjoying my time in Japan, but the fact of the matter was that I was homesick. I missed my friends and family terribly and I had really hoped that Adolf could fill me in on some of the stuff that was going on back home, maybe relieving some of my homesickness in the process.

"Sean, are you coming?" Lilly called. She was a bit farther down the hall than me at this point.

"Y-yeah I'm coming." My voice wavered a little, probably not reassuring Lilly any.

* * *

After school let out, we headed down the hill and into the little town. Lilly navigated through the town fairly well and we stopped in front of a building with a sign that read in Japanese "Shanghai-something," which reminded me how much I sucked at reading Japanese. We walked into the building after I confirmed it was the right place.

At the order counter there was a familiar face fumbling with dishes. She looked at us and smiled.

"Hello Yuuko, I didn't know you worked here." I was subtly surprised at Yuuko's presence.

"Yes well a librarians salary isn't exactly six figures," she said in an awkwardly joking fashion. She was shaking all over. _Neuroticism must be tough this time of month._

She clapped her hands. "So, do you want to be seated?"

"Yes please." Lilly was the one to answer.

"Booth or table?" Yuuko asked, still unable to gain control of the dishes. She decided to just set them down.

"Table please." I assumed we wouldn't need an entire booth, and Lilly didn't seem to mind

Yuuko led the way to our table. All the while, I was guiding Lilly and making sure to stay a few steps behind Yuuko. When we got to our table, Yuuko pulled her pen and tablet out.

"So what'll it be?" she asked, basically assuming that menus weren't needed.

The lack of menus wasn't helping, yet Lilly decided to order.

"I'll have some tea and a piece of strawberry shortcake."

My mouth started to water when she said those words. I hadn't eaten anything that had sugar in it in a month or so, and I guess I was craving it.

"I'll have the same."

Yuuko jotted the orders down. "It should only be a couple of minutes." She then walked away to prepare our orders.

While we waited, Lilly and I just sat there. Something was tugging at my mind, so I decided to spit it out.

"So Lilly, I've noticed that when we talk, you're usually the one asking all the questions, and I'm left without anything about you."

She smiled at my observation. "Well, what do you want to know?" _That was easy._

"For one, do you have any siblings?"_ Seems as good a place to start as any.  
_  
Her smile didn't waver. "Yes, I have an older sister named Akira."

The way she smiled when she talked about her sister reminded me of how I used to talk about my uncle.

"Are you two very close?"

"Yes, she... she's the only family I have in Japan. The majority of my family lives in Scotland."

_The land where unicorns prance freely in the fields._ "That would explain your English. So you just come here for school?"

Lilly shook her head.

"My parents sent me here for school, but that was a long time ago and I used to go to a Catholic school, actually. Akira is here working for my father's business, and we used to live together."

"You just moved in to the dorms for convenience?" I concluded.

She nodded. "We lived in the city before and, due to Akira's job, it was getting difficult for her to drive me to school and be on time for work."

I knew all about things like that, because I had to work around a lot of schedules to play baseball as much as I did.

"Believe me, before my uncle quit his job, it was very difficult to get where I needed to go for baseball." I still got kind of sad when I thought of my uncle, but thanks to Lilly, I was able to enjoy some of my memories.

"He quit his job just to take you to baseball?" Lilly seemed very surprised, and with good reason. Who would just leave their job to take their nephew to play ball?

"Well he was actually fired, he... um kinda got arrested." I didn't want to bring this up to Lilly in a place like this, so I switched to English since I didn't want anyone else hearing about this.

"Before I became good at baseball he was arrested for third-degree assault. He was almost tried for attempted manslaughter." Lilly gasped a little and raised her eyebrows, curious. "My six-year-old cousin was abducted and my uncle went looking for her. He ended up finding a forty-year old man touching her in the alley near his house. One of the neighbors saw it from their house and she called the police."

I was looking at the table trying to focus on the details and looked up to see a mixture of shock and pity on Lilly's face. It pained me to see her like that, but I couldn't stop now.

"When he found them, he first got the man away from her, and then he beat the hell out of the guy. My uncle was in a state of pure rage and he couldn't stop hitting him. Anyway, the police showed up and my uncle stopped hitting him immediately. The arresting officer was a good friend of my uncle's and realized what was happening when he saw my cousin hiding with a torn shirt and a terrified look on her face."

I stopped to catch my breath and saw Yuuko coming with our order. She walked up to our table and placed our order on the table. "Enjoy!" she said with a shaky smile and was on her way.

"So, I'm guessing they gave your uncle the minimal sentence because he was defending his daughter," Lilly concluded.

"Yeah, he served his two years and was released." I took a sip of my tea.

"Well I can't say I would normally approve of what he did, but in that situation I think his reaction was appropriate." She reached across the table and put her hand on top of mine. Her hand was warm and comforting. "You were lucky to have him." Her voice had a soothing tone.

"Can I ask a favor of you Sean?" She took her hand away.

"What's that?

"If it's alright with you, may I feel your face?" Lilly asked, seemingly nervous of the outcome.

"You want to know what I look like?" I figured she was going to try and picture what I looked like from what she could feel.

"If I'm not being too imposing." She had a slightly worried look on her face

"Of course you can, you should have an idea of what I look like," I told her, wanting to be as open as possible

I guide her hand slowly to my cheek, her warm, almost invisible touch a calming feeling. She moves her hand to my jawline and stops.

"I didn't realize you had a beard, Sean." She continued along my face feeling my nose and brow and stopped below my left eye.

"The thing you loved doing most was taken away from you. It's a shame... I am really sorry." She said so with a smile on her face.

_Dammit Sean, you can't let Lilly feel bad for your sorry ass when she can't see at all.  
_  
I smile, Lilly must have felt my face move since she did as well.

"It's not all bad. I mean if I hadn't lost my sight, I would never have met you, or Hanako." I tried reassuring her.

Lilly took her hand away from my face and took a sip of her tea. She was the only girl I had ever met that has taken a genuine interest in me. The girls I let get close to me only wanted to be around for status in school. Lilly, however, actually cared. She cared the way a family member would.

Lilly had her eyes shut and seemed zoned out.

"You okay?" I ask.

Her eyes shot open and she gave a weak smile. "Yes I'm fine, I'm just a little tired from planning for the festival and my class representative duties."

I didn't have to do anything but lift things and build a couple booths, while Lilly actually had to plan things, which can be extremely stressful.

"Sean, how tall are you?" Lilly asked, out-of-the-blue.

"Uh... I think I'm six foot now. Sorry I don't know the metric version of that. Er, why do you want to know?" It wasn't that strange I guess, but it was odd.

"Everyone seems to be awed by your size and they suggested that you be the one to do the heavy lifting. I was going to have you work the stand with me since I know you're good at math, but everyone else insisted that you were probably the only one that could do it."

"I guess in Japan I am abnormally big. It's fine, I don't mind." _Heh, Adolf's gonna have the same experience. _I looked at my phone and saw it was five-thirty.

"Hey, it's already five-thirty. Do you wanna get out of here soon?"

"Sure, I have a little homework."

We finished our slices of cake and tea, and I waved to Yuuko to give us the bill. She came over and handed it to me. The bill was only ¥1100, but I pulled ¥2200 out of my wallet and gave it to Yuuko.

"The rest is a tip," I said.

An excited look overcame her face, which probably wasn't a good thing. _I feel bad for those dishes._

"Thanks a lot Sean!"

We got up, waved goodbye to our friend, left the Shanghai.

* * *

"So did you have a good time?" I asked.

"I had a great time, we should do it more often."

I wanted to try and validate our relationship, but at the same time I didn't want to be pushy

"So would we call this our first date?" I asked, eagerly awaiting her response.

"No." She had a total poker face. My heart sank, I was speechless. "This weekend will be our first date." She moved in front of me and stood on the tips of her toes to reach my face, giving me a quick kiss on my lips. "See you tomorrow Sean!" She walked back to the girls' dorm.

I was even more speechless than before, in fact, I was dumbfounded. Is that why she wanted to know how tall I was? It couldn't be... I realized I was still standing in the same spot that Lilly kissed me and went into my dorm. On my way up to the dorms, I noticed the new kid I saw Adolf and the Student Council with.

"Hey man, what's up?"

He turned around and his eyes grew wide.

"Uh, n-not much." He seemed nervous for some reason.

"My name's Sean Lynch, but you can call me Sean. It's nice to meet you." I offered my hand to him. He slowly took it and shook.

"My name's Hisao Nakai, but you can call me Hisao." He eyed me up. "You're American aren't you?"

"Yeah I am," I said, kind of matter-of-factly.

"There's another American kid who just transferred here as well," he said, pointing to the dorm next to his, room 118. "That's his dorm."

I figured I should explain a little of why I can't talk to Adolf to the guy.

"I know Adolf. We're actually from the same town, but he lost part of his memory and doesn't seem to remember who I am. That being said, can you do me a favor and not mention me to him?"

He nodded. "I won't mention you." He turned to his dorm. "I'm gonna finish getting unpacked, so I guess I'll see you around." I waved goodbye and he closed his door.

_He seems alright, kinda jumpy though... Oh well.  
_  
I walked into my room, grabbed my homework, and hit the books.

* * *

**AN: I apologize for the lack of uploads over the past few weeks. I just finished football so I should have plenty of free time from now on.**

**I was asked a few questions (you know who you are), so here are the answers: I do start on varsity at center, we finished the season 3-7(I know, not that great), I am a junior in high school, and sorry, but I'm not going to use my full name on here, just refer to me as Clarky. Also I loosely based Sean off of myself, I know it's kinda douchey but whatever. It happens all the time.**

**Lattice degeneration is a real disease that I actually have. It works the same way as I described it in the fic, and I could actually go blind when I get older, though it is very unlikely now.**

**Any and all reviews are appreciated, but please use constructive criticism if you review and thanks for reading.**

**Editor's Note (Mister Vault 101): Heya guys. Just a quick note for those of you who read ADD: I am working on chapter 29, but due to computer difficulties, I have to type it on my iPod, which may result in shorter chapters. Also, a good portion of time was spent on a project for the Visual Novel I'm writing for. But, don't worry, it's not dead!**  
**Oh, and continue reading Blind Sided!**

**さよなら私の友達。**


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